A recent facebook post I made stirred up–well, I will say comments, not so much “controversy.” I was asking why so many of my friends who were not Roman Catholic celebrated Lent. I got lots of responses. Some people who were not religious were using it as a time to try to do something different. I’m assuming they chose Lent mainly because it is a conveniently defined period of time. Some felt that they did not think enough about the sacrifice that Jesus made for us in their day-to-day life and felt that giving something up would help them to remember that. Some people were doing something rather than giving something up; in fact one person was doing something that I believe is based on a misinterpretation of 1 Corinthians 11:3-16. I am not participating in Lent. I don’t think it’s wrong, necessarily, I just don’t think it is something I want to do, and here are some reasons why:
1. I don’t feel like I need to give anything up now any more than usual. A few weeks ago I set a goal of trying to drink more water than soda everyday. I haven’t been achieving that goal everyday, but I’m keeping track. I don’t want to give something up because I feel like I can enjoy a soda to the glory of God, just as I can enjoy any of the many things with which He has blessed me.
2. I don’t “need” to give something up to remember what Jesus did for me. Maybe I don’t think about His sacrifice every second of the day or even every day but it isn’t something I will forget easily, at least not now. I think that giving something up for me would just feel like a chore and my religion is not a chore.
3. I don’t like the idea of Lent being “self-improvement.” I can’t help myself. Only God can help to effect any kind of real change in me.
Today at church the bulletin had a passage that addressed Lent. I’m going to quote a little bit of it (if you wrote this and want credit let me know–there was no author or anything it’s just from a church bulletin):
“It is very important to remember that whatever you do during Lent, it must not be construed as a spiritual act that achieves any status or favor with God. Rituals and habits are meant to educate, discipline, and sensitize. They should never be meant to impress or give spiritual self-satisfaction. Hyper-devotion and super spirituality often lead to an exaltation of the self.”
I feel like a lot of people give up things that will help them. I don’t think that’s what Lent is for and I would rather enjoy what the Lord has given me every day and remember His suffering throughout the entire year, not just 40 days.
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